Crist extends spill declaration zone again
Written on May 21, 2010
Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday added Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach to his list of counties he has declared to be in a state of emergency as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
On April 30, Crist declared a state of emergency in several Florida Panhandle counties, following the April 21 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform.
In addition to South Florida, Crist added Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay and Gulf counties.
An order issued on May 5, added Pinellas, Manatee, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Pasco and Hernando counties.
Crist said in his Thursday order that he added South Florida and the other counties because of reports that the spill has entered the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico, “thereby creating a potential threat to additional counties bordering the Gulf and along the Atlantic Seaboard.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday that although oil has entered the loop, it will take time to travel in the vicinity of the Florida straits.
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